The Library Series
by jan.rover
Summary: Ruka Nogi's reputation isn't of the genius one, but he's never been the one to suddenly fail in academics. She blames it on is procrastination-He blames it on, well, her. She's expected to correct it, though, whether they like it or not. A story of love in the context of Physics, in the serenity and silence of the ironically romantic library. Yet another RukaRu Story. R&R!
1. Prologue

A/N: I've had this concept going on in my head alongside "Saturdays With the Ice Queen", but I had kept it under my files and burried it in my memory for a long time only until recently. Luckily, though, I always keep the initial manuscripts of all the random stories that I get in this cluttered head of mine.

I know, I know, I've been on hiatus for like, forever! haha. And I'm probably out of practice. But here I am again! ^^ And I hope you'll enjoy this.  
P.S.

The first three chapters would probably be for establishing a thing or two. But I promise to make things a bit more interesting in the later chapters. I hope you still like it, though! Enjoy! :))

* * *

**Prologue**

"Nogi." The slight rumble in the class seemed to die down a bit as I stood up and walked to our teacher's outstretched hand holding my exam result. By the look on his face, I could almost read his disappointment. Averting my eyes, I tried to ignore how the class seemed to be watching.

When I reached to take the paper, he raised an eyebrow at me quizzically, and all I could do was to look away. Couldn't he just drop it? Physics isn't a piece of cake. In that brief moment I waited for the humiliating words, but they didn't come. Instead, he crossed his arms on his chest and leaned on the table as I turned my heels to walk back to my seat at the back. "Care to explain what went wrong, Mr. Nogi?"

I paused to look over my shoulder. Feeling the blood rushing up to my face, I glanced down to my paper for the first time, quickly scanning over the X's. "Uh, half of everything, sir."

There were scattered laughter in the room, and now I felt strongly sure that I would be reprimanded. But then the man simply sighed, his face suddenly sympathetic. For some reason I hated that look. He took a moment to stare at the empty chair up front, and then to the one at the back. And after a few dreadful seconds, he looked me straight in the eyes.

"In that case from now on you take this seat up front." I blinked, and strangely, I heard my pulse thudding on my head. "For the rest of the course, until you graduate."

"B-but that's…that's for another eight months." I choked out, imagining myself sitting up front beside...No, I don't have a phobia or something, but really, I don't find it specifically helpful.

"It'll help you focus more." He said, apparently noticing my erupting objections.

I sighed, defeated, and walked back to my seat to get my bag. None of this would have happened if not for the sleepless nights I've suffered. All this I could only blame to one person and no other. Turning back to our teacher for further instructions, he nodded towards the empty seat up front. And I found myself gulping. "You'll be sitting beside Imai."

The steady noise in the class was back now, which was good because it meant that not everyone was paying much attention to me, but I didn't miss a snicker coming out from Koko. Glancing at him, he face-palmed and zipped his mouth, keeping a straight face. I thought I heard a few scattered squeals, and others had that Koko's grin on their faces. It took everything in me to push the thought away, and make my way to the empty seat.

Our eyes met for a brief moment as I sat down beside her, and it took me back to the sleepless nights that were altogether the reason why I ended up in this position. But then as quick as my heart changed its pace, she looked away.

"Oh, and by the way…" Everyone looked up as our teacher turned back to us. Surprisingly though, his eyes were fixed on my new seatmate. "I'm assigning you to be Nogi's tutor."


	2. Chapter 1

A/N: I know Prologue's a bit short, I can't promise a longer one though, but do expect more for the other chapters. Read on, people, I hope you guys like it! :)

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Chapter 1: Moral Responsibility

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_RPOV_

The bell rang on cue, and the class was dismissed. At once the raven-haired Alice beside stood up and briskly walked to approach our sensei, ignoring the unruly fuss around us. I sluggishly moved to fix my things, but though I hadn't meant to, her voice still made its way to my ears despite all the noise.

"I'm not going to do it."

"He's your seatmate now." Our sensei said, barely paying her the attention she was demanding. "It's your moral responsibility to help him."

"Ruka can manage."

Either because of the fact that she actually referred to me by my first name, or the annoying fact that she seemed willing to do absolutely anything to get rid of me and her newfound responsibility, I found myself butting in the conversation.

"I-I guess she's right."

I didn't miss the glare that she flashed at me as she glanced my way.

"I-I can manage on my own. Y-you don't have to oblige her to tutor me."

There was a short pause as he raised an eyebrow at me. "But you failed in the last two quizzes; and yet again in this exam."

I flushed. "I-I was just...distracted."

For a split second I felt her eyes on me, but then that seemed ridiculous because at this point her eyes seemed to bore holes right through our sensei so maybe I was just imagining it.

"Ms. Imai, you're an Executive. The student council proposed a tutoring program, right?"

I glanced at her, and noticed the slight furrow of her eyebrows. Sensei nodded, and was about to close the matter when she spoke again.

"In that case it doesn't have to be me. Inchou can tutor him."

There was a vague feeling of rejection poking at my chest, but I pushed it aside. I turned back to the amused professor. "I-I promise I'll do better." I said. "I don't want to trouble other people."

There was a short pause, the man's eyes flashing from me to the Ice Queen. Then he sighed. "Fine." I saw her shoulders relax from the corner of my eyes. "You don't have to tutor Nogi. But I'll take it upon you, Ms. Imai, to make sure he does his job."

She stiffened, and I swear I almost felt the dark clouds looming over her. "That's basically the same thing."

The man smiled. "Exactly."

I gulped, and turned back to our professor. But before I could say something, he cut me in. "Oh, and that's final."

The door shut close and we were left in the half-empty room, and I figured that it was indeed final and irrevocable.

I sighed, turning back to the Ice Queen. "L-Listen. You don't have to—" Her eyes suddenly burned down on me, and I instinctively stepped back. "—do it."

She stared at me like I was some weird specimen, and I gulped back. When she spoke again, she sounded calm, but the words seethed with threat. "I don't care what distraction is going on in that blond head if yours, but get rid of it. You better do what you have to do, Nogi, or you know what."

She left the room after that, and I sighed. Somehow I was glad that she didn't venture on whatever _distraction _I was having 'cause I was in no way prepared for that. I knew that this was her call—it was really up to her if she's going to do it or not. Honestly, a small part of me thought that maybe this wasn't a good idea. But then again it's going to be her choice. Though by the way she slammed the door, I was pretty sure she'd made up her mind.

She's always been sure of the things she wants…or hates, for that matter; so I thought that if she'd decided, it probably won't change anytime soon. I just didn't realize that whatever her decision would be was going to ironically change everything.

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A/N: There! Please click that Review Button below. It'd mean a lot for me. Thanks! :))


	3. Chapter 2

A/N: There! Now here's chapter two! I wouldn't want to delay you further, so, I hope you enjoy! :)

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Chapter 2: Convince Me

* * *

The Academy's library looked invitingly serene. The floor was polished to perfect luster, the Oakwood tables and chairs looked quite comfortable. Cool breeze swept into the room from the tall, rich, vegetation of the Northern Forest that happened to be facing the library's large windows. The curtains swayed as the fresh wind swept into the room. Ruka Nogi looked around, and realized that in all those years that he'd lived here in the Academy, he rarely had the chance to spend time in the library.

He walked towards the farthest corner, nodding politely to the sweet old librarian as he passed by. He put his bag on a chair at the edge of the table by the window—the one that had the loveliest view of the forest—and stared outside. The wind was cool, the view inviting. He could see Piyo's nest from where he was, and a nagging feeling almost tempted him to go outside and play with his friend.

But, no. He had to remember why he was here; he could almost hear her voice in his head: _"I don't care what distraction is going on in that blond head if yours, but get rid of it. You better do what you have to do, Nogi, or you know what."_

Letting out a quiet sigh, he settled himself back on the chair, opened his book, and started reading.

* * *

"Th-That's Ruka-kun, isn't it?"

The raven-haired Alice looked up from the documents in her hands to the blond guy walking beside her. Following his gaze, she noticed the serene figure by the window three floors up in the main building they were walking to. She glanced back down, shutting up the tiny voice in her head that had started to babble again just as how it always does whenever she sees him. And as always, it made her temper sour. She didn't say anything in reply, and Iinchou turned to her.

"I heard you were assigned to tutor him."

Hotaru Imai fought the urge to snap at him; she knew Iinchou was just asking. Skimming on the documents, her voice sounded calm. "I negotiated my way out of that. He's not my responsibility."

The blond class rep stared at his long-time partner and friend, and smiled. Years of practice taught him that the Ice Queen knows perfectly what her responsibilities are, whether they are pointed out to her or not; and he knew her well enough to know that she always has a huge, reasonable cause in excusing herself from any task. But he also knew she wouldn't talk about it.

They reached the building and went inside, heading directly to the Student Council's office. It was free period, and being Executives, they spend much of the free time everyday in the Council office.

"Oh, right."

The Ice Queen noticed the subtle edge in the cheerful tone of her friend, and she looked at him.

"The tutoring program was approved." Iinchou said, glancing at her briefly as they reached the Council room, and opened the door for both of them. "You've heard about it?"

She nodded, cursing in her mind for the news. Her mind flashed an image of that brooding figure by the window, and found herself muttering, "It's highly troublesome."

Iinchou smiled, somehow knowing what's running in her mind.

The room was half-empty with students lounging here and there, but the long Oakwood table near the window that was usually used for formal meetings was unoccupied. Iinchou put his things down, and watched her walk to the window, skimming in the same documents in her hands.

"Y-yes, it may be quite troublesome." He muttered as he sat down on one of the chairs. "But I think..."

Purple orbs looked up from the documents and settled on the blond Alice who was suddenly preoccupied with his eyeglasses. She stared at him wipe his glasses for a moment, then she prompted, "You think what?"

"Oh, uh—" He mumbled. "I think the tutoring program can help a lot of students."

"Most academic failure is simply caused by procrastination. It has little to do with intelligence."

"Y-yes, that's right. B-but don't you think that _that's _basically the whole point?"

The Ice Queen stared at him, and he cleared his throat and adjusted his eyeglasses, suddenly feeling a bit self-conscious. "Tutoring someone doesn't have to be spoon-feeding. You can focus on his weakest point, for example. You'll simply have to guide him—to, uh, prompt him."

Hotaru Imai continued to stare at her friend, and at the back of her mind she wondered why Iinchou was using the male pronoun.

"In the end..." Iinchou smiled at her. "It would still be in his own volition if he'd be willing to be guided or not."

There was a short pause, and she moved to stare at the tall greens of the Northern forest outside.

"W-What do you think?"

"I still don't see why I should waste my time on someone who can manage to do it on his own."

"Well..." Iinchou shrugged, and Hotaru turned to look back at him, "For one thing he's your friend."

The innocent look on Iinchou's face pushed the sharp retort aside; and she found herself rolling her eyes at him before turning back to stare at the window, finally closing the subject.

* * *

Ruka spun his ballpoint pen in his fingers, and watched it stop in place as he willed it to. Doing it again, it twitched off his hold and bounced on the table with a small but disturbing sound. He scrambled for it as it rolled across the table before it could fall onto the floor. For the nth time, the librarian rang the warning bell, and he instinctively shrunk in his seat. After a couple of moments, when he was finally sure that the librarian wasn't going to check on him for the second time, he sighed.

He had finished reading a few chapters of the Physics book in front of him. A few more books lied open on the table in front of him, ravished to the last leaf as they should. But then for some reason he didn't feel quite...satisfied.

He's never been the bookish type of guy; like any other student, studying doesn't top his 'to-do' list.

But the procrastination he was used to hadn't always been enough to make him fail three consecutive quizzes. Besides, he usually had Natsume with him. His bestfriend had always helped him in their academics; they've had a habit of studying together. But then recently, taking a bit of Natsume's time didn't seem right. The time he would ask from his bestfriend would be the same time that should be spent resting, or spending time with Mikan.

He sighed, looking through the now closed windows to the orange sky over the Northern forest. It was nearing dusk, the sun making its way beyond the clouds looming over at the horizon.

Time seemed to have passed quickly, and the orange sky slowly turned purple as he was lost in thoughts. Stifling a yawn, he blinked back the drowsiness and stared at the beautiful twilight sky.

"Is this what you've been doing for the whole afternoon?"

He jumped in surprise, and looked up, finding himself locked in a gaze with the same purple beauty—only scarier.

"I-Imai."

She stared down at him, zeroing on the clutters spread on the table, before looking back to his surprised azure eyes. She paused there for a moment, but looked away when that tiny voice started to babble again. She picked up one of the books in front of him, and quietly skimmed on the recently read pages.

"Wh-What're you—"

"You won't get anything helpful from this one." She cut in, and he faltered.

He watched her put the book down and picked up the other. He watched her calm, serene, face; her short, black hair and how they seemed to look so soft to touch; the graceful folds of her uniform and the way they wrapped around her slender body...

He gulped and immediately looked away, feeling the blood run up to his face.

She closed the book and put it down. There was a pause, and her fingers unconsciously tapped on the wooden table. She was staring at him now, as though deliberating the best way to torture him.

"Listen." She spoke and Ruka gulped, meeting her smoldering eyes. "I'm doing this because I don't have a choice."

He wondered for a moment what she's talking about; and when it dawned into him, he couldn't quite get it. "Y-You're the Ice Queen. You always have a choice."

She didn't bother hiding her frown. "Not on this one."

The blond Alice stared at the Ice Queen, remembering how this girl reasoned out so well just so she won't have anything to do with him.

"Look." He said. "Y-You don't have to do it. Like you said, I can manage." Hotaru raised an eyebrow at him, and the blond sighed. "I-I'm just—I'm just a bit—distracted."

She blinked, his words sinking in. Suddenly, Iinchou's voice rang in her head: _'...he's your friend.'_

"Besides..." He continued, and she met his gaze. "I-I know you have a lot of better things to do. You're an Executive so—"

"Believe me, Nogi. This has a lot more to do with me being tied with the Student Council than the moral responsibility of being your seatmate."

That should've hurt or something, but for some reason, Ruka chuckled. Hotaru Imai raised an eyebrow. "Okay." He said, holding out his hand to her. She stared at it, silently incredulous, but then upon noticing her reluctance, his lips curved up to that smile that reached his eyes and she cursed inwardly when her heart did a somersault. "Hey, it's alright. I'll be good."

"You better be." She muttered, and shook his hand.

And for the first time in the day, at that short moment of touch, she heard the tiny voice in her head telling her that maybe, just maybe, this wasn't all about her being an Executive, but more about him being her new seatmate, and the fact that he's technically a childhood friend…or perhaps more.

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A/N:

Please don't hesitate to leave your comments, suggestions, or flames. I'd really appreciate healthy criticisms! :))


	4. Chapter 3

A/N: WHoohoo! CHapter 3 is here. Enjoy! :)

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Chapter 3: The Binding

* * *

Ruka Nogi stared at the white letter-sized paper in front of him. "Wh-What's this?"

"That's our contract." Hotaru Imai's face was void of emotion as she spoke. "Read it."

He picked it up, and she watched his eyes move from one side to the other as he silently read.

_Stated herein are the regulations that govern the tutorial agreement between the undersigned parties:_

_1) The undersigned shall agree upon the venue and time for the tutorial, which shall be three-thirty PM everyday at the Gakuen Alice Academy library, and will be made final and irrevocable upon the affixing of the signatures._

He raised an eyebrow, an innocent half smile on his lips. "I thought we'll both agree on the time and venue?"

"Just read on, Nogi."

He shrugged, and obediently, he continued reading.

_2) Every tutorial session shall not exceed one hundred and twenty (120) minutes. Exceeding time shall be subject to the regular hourly fee as declared by the tutor._

His eyes were as blue as the clear sky outside, and the light that came through the windows gave them a somewhat unrealistic spark. It just seemed...unfathomable for anyone to have eyes like those. But then those same eyes looked up from the paper, and met hers with a suddenly different intensity.

"B-But it says here that I'm only entitled to have maximum of a hundred and twenty minutes for a tutoring session." She nodded. "B-But that's only two hours!"

She raised an eyebrow. "Well you can pay my hourly rate if you'd want to spend more time with me."

Warmth spread up to his face down to the back of his neck. "Th-That's not—" He gulped back, slowly getting annoyed of that calm expression on her face. Reluctantly, his eyes dropped back to the paper.

_3) Sixty (60) minutes of service shall be paid as compensation by the tutee, to the tutor every week._

_4) Since the sole aim of the tutorial session is to prompt the necessary studying habits to the tutee, only a maximum of two (2) questions shall be catered by the tutor._

When he looked up, he couldn't find the words. But the incredulous look on his face somehow gave her the idea.

"Oh. That." The raven-haired Alice crossed her arms against her chest. "An hour of service paid back to me—by you, of course—as compensation for my wasted time."

Ruka gaped at the most cunning, calculating, and unbelievably annoying girl he'd ever known.

"I thought you were doing this because—" He stopped himself, knowing that he was probably being stupid for believing that she'd agreed to do it for—though she'd clearly disclaimed it—friendship. He sighed. "A-And what service would that be?"

The gaze she was giving him felt like the one she gave him in the library, as though she seemed to be debating within herself on what would be the best torture fitting for him.

"I haven't decided yet." She replied, and just when he was about to say something, she cut in. "I suggest you finish it reading first before you give me that look. I can only manage to see that stupid expression once."

Ruka stared at her for a moment, and in that short while she felt like taking back the words she'd just said, for the sole reason that she knew deep down that she could stare at that stupid face for a few more hours and not get tired of it.

"I-Imai..." Ruka muttered helplessly. "Do we really need this?"

"It has to be official." She said nonchalantly. "That's to seal the agreement; a certainty of fairness for both parties."

"B-But it's hardly fair!" Hotaru Imai stared at the flustered blond in front of her, and then simply shrugged. Ruka Nogi bit down the string of ugly words he really didn't want to say to her face despite the absurdity of her demands. Taking a deep breath, he met her steady gaze. "But what do I get from compensating your—"

"Well, you ought to pay me the time I would have to spend with you. That's fair. Besides..." She raised an eyebrow. "You're the one who needs help, remember?"

"Y-Yes, I know. But at least make those two questions three." She raised another eyebrow in a wordless challenge and he sighed. "Look, Hotaru. I-I'm grateful that you're even considering this, but one hour with you is barely enough."

The moment it escaped his lips he felt the blood rush up to his face. It wasn't supposed to sound that way, but it did; and if she'd noticed it, she didn't give the slightest idea.

"Fine."

He closed his gaping mouth and cleared his throat. "Uh, r-really?"

The Ice Queen shrugged. "Make sure you've read everything, I don't want you complaining later."

For some reason, he found a smile; and yet again she didn't know why he had to, and why the hell her heart skipped a beat.

What he needed was a break from his...distraction; and he doubted that an hour everyday with—of all people!—Hotaru Imai herself would rid him of that. Those beautiful, purple eyes that had started to haunt his sleepless nights, those—He gulped. In all honesty it might even make it worse. But then that voice in his head—that annoying, tolerating voice that he usually ignored for sanity's sake—told him to ask her to make that two hours three.

But he didn't, of course. The mere thought of that hour of service as compensation suggested terrifying thoughts in his head and sent a chill down his spine. But then he knew, deep at the back of his mind, he wanted this too.

He patted his pockets, and she wordlessly handed out a sign pen. Uncapping the pen, he paused for at the last paragraph and read:

"All the rules and regulations aforementioned in this contract shall be fairly acknowledged and carried out by the two undersigned parties. Failure to do so by the undersigned shall subject him to substantial punishment to be given by the other party with proper jurisdiction." Ruka Nogi shook his head, the smile almost widening. "Honestly, Hotaru, it goes without saying. Like I said, I'll be good."

She watched him sign the contract, and she was surprised to find herself not feeling like she was forced into this. For some reason, when he handed it back to her with that sheepish smile on his face, she felt that maybe Iinchou's right. This blond guy's technically a childhood friend.

But then again, as the blond Alice watched her quietly walking away, he couldn't get rid of the feeling at the pit of his stomach mixing with the thrill and excitement—the feeling that reminded him that he might've signed himself into his doom. No one can ever know with the Ice Queen.

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A/N:

It's definitely getting closer to the tutorial sessions! HAHAHA. I'm personally excited to get on with the real tutorial sessions. If only I can jump to it in the first place. But then that won't be good, so I had to do chapters 1 to 3 first. I promise to get on with the first session in the next Chapter though. So, stay tuned!  
:))


	5. Chapter 4

A/N: As promised! Here's Chapter 4, with the first tutorial session. Sorry for the late update, I've been very busy with my thesis. HA! I think that made me sound reeeaaaally old. 0.o

Oh, well. Read on, people, and tell me what you think. R&R! :)

* * *

Chapter 4: Newton's First Law of Motion: Inertia and Mass

* * *

_I. Every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external _

_Force is applied to it._

Hotaru touched the printed title on the spine of one of the books, and then pulled it off the shelf and placed it on top of the pile. The hard-bound book landed on the pile of its own kind in his now beaten arms with a quiet 'thud'. Ruka Nogi stifled a grunt as another weight added up to the ones already tormenting his arms, and tried not to stumble over to the quiet lady sifting through the shelves.

"A-Are we done yet?"

She looked over her shoulder and barely glanced at the guy before looking back to the shelves. "Complaining already?"

"N-No. I-I's just that—"

Another book landed onto the pile, and with a grunt, he managed to keep the pile balanced though it almost towered over his head.

Today was the first day of their tutoring sessions. Ruka arrived first in the library that afternoon, and when she arrived about fifteen minutes later, she found the blond already engrossed in a book. When he had looked up from reading, she couldn't help but notice his sheepish smile that had reached his eyes. Alarm bells rang in her head, and she looked away, put her bag on the table, and had beckoned him to follow her to one of the sections in the library.

"I guess that's it." The Ice Queen's voice broke the customary silence of the library. "Follow me." And with a tap on his shoulder, she led the way to an empty spot by the window.

* * *

Ruka was more than just happy to put the pile of books on the table. He stretched his arms in front of him, and he flinched at as pins and needles that pricked as his muscles flexed. "That was heavy."

Hotaru glanced at the smiling blond guy, her face stoic, and then walked around the table to the chair across him. Without a word, she picked one book after the other, glancing at their titles, and sorted them out in front of him.

Ruka watched her sort the books in a specific order that he couldn't quite figure out yet. There were three piles in front of him, each starting to tower a bit more as she continued to sort them out. After a few moments, she slid one pile to his right, and the other one to his left, and then sat down on the chair across him. He pulled out a chair and sat down; and just when he thought she'd finally look up and at least start pretending that she hadn't forgotten his presence, she pulled out a paper and a pen and started to scribble down; once in a while glancing at the books in front of them.

"Uh, wh-what're you—?"

She held up a hand to shut him up—which proved to be effective—and Ruka found himself automatically doing what she wanted.

Finally, after eons of waiting, Hotaru Imai capped her pen back and looked up at him.

"Listen." She said, and he straightened up as pushed the paper to him across the table. "That's a list of the books you're going to read every night."

The blond read through the list. "A-All...As in everything in this list?"

"Of course."

Ruka gulped, wishing that the Ice Queen was simply kidding. But, no. She was dead serious.

"Now, listen." Ruka met her eyes as she spoke, and she steadily returned the gaze. "Everything you need is here. All you have to do is to run through all the topics."

Reluctantly, he nodded. "B-But—"

"But what?"

"I-it's just that—" She raised an eyebrow and he shrugged. "I-I don't think I can—"

"You're either thinking about nonsensical pessimism or you're not thinking at all." She cut in. "That's basically the reason why you've been flunking."

Ruka blinked, and a voice in his head retorted that she wasn't exactly right. The reason he'd been flunking is ironically because he'd been thinking too much, and not because he hadn't been thinking at all. Though she didn't have to know what he'd been thinking about—or who.

"You think that you can't. Change that or I'll force all these into your mouth. I swear it's not going to taste good."

Ruka Nogi bit down the string of complaints trying to force their way out of his mouth, and then sighed. "Fine..." He said. "I'll do what you want."

"Good." She said. "Now, we begin."

* * *

"Why should I start reading from the very beginning?"

"You're basics are poor." She replied, not even looking up from writing on her notebook. "Physics is easy if you remember all the laws presented at the beginning of every topic."

Ruka Nogi sighed and turned his attention back to the book he was reading. Almost an hour had passed since they have started, and he was able to read at least three chapters; that is, one chapter of the same topic from three different Physics books, as recommended—no, scratch that—_commanded_, by his tutor.

He had to admit, though. Hotaru's right. He didn't really hate the subject; he understood it fairly well. He was pretty good in Math, even, thanks to hours of help from Natsume during their junior years. But then Physics just seemed to remain to be such a pain. And if the Ice Queen said he should study from the very beginning, then he probably should do as he was told.

He stole a glance at her as he turned a page, and saw her still scribbling some notes on her notebook. The light from the outside made her purple orbs look a shade lighter, her pale skin looking soft and smooth under the fluorescent... He gulped, and finally had to look back down to the dullness of the battered book in front of him if he had plans on having a successful sleep tonight…

Hotaru Imai, on the other hand, was oblivious to the rumbling thoughts of the blond Alice in front of her. As she wrote her narrative report about the previous meetings of the Student Council, a small part of her mind thought about the absurdity of all that's happening now. Come to think of it, Ruka Nogi's never really a stranger to her; but they've never really been that…close.

But then suddenly, _this_.

She's not a person who attributes everything to destiny or fate, but for some reason it made her wonder; and to think she rarely wonders about things like this. Hotaru Imai's rarely caught off guard. But then the next thing she knew she was already stuck in this responsibility. It shouldn't hurt that much, she figured, since this was supposed to be all business. She could always stop, if she'd want to…

"I, uh, I'm stuck about something."

She watched his eyes flash up from the book to meet her gaze. "What is it?"

"Is inertia a force?"

"An hour has passed and you're still reading on Newton's _first_ law of motion."

Ruka shrugged, pushing the awkward feeling away. "You told me to master the basics."

Hotaru closed her notebook and crossed her arms on the table. "What does the first law say?"

The blond cleared his throat, and quickly skimmed over his notes, ignoring the fact that she was suddenly paying attention to him. "I-It said that: _Every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it._"

"Inertia keeps that object in that uniform state of motion."

"Oh."

There was a pause as they stared at each other. She raised an eyebrow, and he flushed.

"S-so…it's a force, then?"

"No." The Ice Queen watched him stare at her blankly as he slowly nodded, clearly not getting it despite the obvious explanation. She rolled her eyes and let out a quiet sigh. "It's like this, idiot." Ruka Nogi didn't have to have his attention called twice. He was already staring at her.

"_You've_ been in a state of uniform motion for the past weeks—" Ruka raised his eyebrows and she waved him off. "—you've been failing quizzes, staring into space, and going to class looking like a zombie."

Hearing that, all he could do was gape at her. He simply had no idea he had been _that_ obvious.

"So your continuous flunking is your state of uniform motion." She continued. "And what's keeps you _in that state_ is—"

"You?"

Hotaru Imai glared at him for interrupting, and he flushed even deeper. "I-I mean, y-you're the force that's supposed to push me off that state of uniformity which is, uh, procrastination. R-right?"

She watched his color deepen, and tried not to think about what he could've possibly meant. "You're going to have to study hard—that's supposed to push you off your constant procrastination, if it's really the reason you've been failing. Don't forget that."

He stared at 's no way he was going to forget that... Especially the way her eyes bore down on him as she spoke, as though she was seeing right through him while talking Physics; and how she gave him the attention he needed, making that short moment seem like there was no one else in the world but him.

"Shut that disgusting mouth up, Nogi. And stop staring."

Ruka Nogi cleared his throat as he looked away, feeling the dizzying sensation of his blood rushing up to his face. "I-I'm not staring!"

Hotaru watched him suddenly get busy with his notes, noticing the redness of his ears even as he propped his arm on the table to presumably shield himself from her scrutinizing eyes. Pushing away the curiosity, she dropped the thoughts and went back to her narrative report.

When the blond saw her open her notebook and turned her attention back to it, he sighed in relief. Turning back to his Physics book, he quickly skipped to Newton's Second Law of Motion... He could still feel his heart beating against his chest. Hotaru Imai's never good for that small muscle pumping in his chest; she'd always been either trying to scare him, threaten him, order him, and well, fascinate him. Recently he discovered that the list turned out to be quite longer...

Ruka leaned back on his chair, and glanced at the raven-haired Alice quietly writing across him; and he figured, that sleeping tonight was definitely going to be a lot more difficult.

* * *

A/N: There! I hope you liked it. :))


	6. Chapter 5

A/N: HEy! I'm back! I'm really sorry for the very long delay. I know I should've updated last Christmas break, but my vacation was all spent for my thesis-much to my dismay. I really had no choice. I need to graduate! haha.

anyway, here's chapter 5. I know Physics can be quite boring, but I just feel like this is something close to my heart...so, yeah, I'm gonna continue this, reviews or not. :P

Chapter 6 will be up soon, promise!

'kay, then. R&R please! :))

* * *

Chapter 5: Newton's Second Law of Motion: Acceleration

* * *

_The change of momentum of a body is proportional to the impulse impressed on the body, and happens along the straight line on which that impulse is impressed._

"You're late."

The raven haired Alice watched the blond hold onto the back of the chair across her, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. His forehead was damp, his collar unbuttoned as though he was suddenly enlightened by his best friend's _correct_ way of wearing the uniform.

After a moment, he pulled the chair and sat down, bowing apologetically to his tutor. "I'm sorry." He breathed. "I had to run a few errands for the Barn."

"Figures."

Ruka paused. "What?"

"You stink."

"No, I don't! Y-You—" Ruka bit down a string of ungentlemanly words and fought his impulse. "Nevermind." He let out a sigh and instead took his notes out. When he glanced, Hotaru Imai was smirking. He wondered about the unusual state of the Ice Queen's mood, but dropped it upon realizing that anything could be running in that mind of hers. _Anything_—including a few blackmailing schemes and what-not—so he better leave her be. When silence ruled them both, he didn't mind. She was skimming on the pages of a thick book, and he was just glad that she found some other preoccupation apart from him.

Hotaru Imai glanced up to the blond Alice sitting across her. The wind blowing from the open windows of the library cooled his damp forehead, and his face now looked as though he hadn't spent himself in the Barn. His hair swayed with the easy breeze from outside, his long eyelashes batted with every blink, the revealed hollow of his throat from the unusually unbuttoned collar slightly heaved as he breathed…

Then his sparkling blue eyes suddenly met her curious gaze, and she stilled, though her face looked calm. He opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it again.

"What is it, idiot?"

"Uh, I-I just figured…" He muttered, his fingers tapping on the opened Physics book in front of him. "People back then didn't seem to have other things to mind."

"Discovery and Invention was everything back then."

She watched the corners of his mouth pull up to playful grin that she usually saw when he's laughing with Mikan. "I bet you'd have caught that apple and eaten it before it fell on the ground, and Newton wouldn't have discovered gravity."

She raised an eyebrow at the unexpected jest as Ruka chuckled heartily; but she couldn't quite contain the smirk spreading across her face. "Someone else would've discovered it." She replied dismissively, reaching out across the table and snatched his notebook. "Now, let me see if you have been doing your job."

"Wh-what—"

"Who is the father of Modern Physics?"

Ruka Nogi gaped at the Ice Queen. He hated pop quizzes. "Uh…"

"Get this wrong and I'll hit you in the head."

"We're in the library. You can't hit me with your Baka gun. The librarian will—OW!"

Hotaru raised a foot long thin Bamboo stick casually as though an inviting snack. "Baka Stick v.1. Made it last night. Automatically reaches out and teaches a stupid tutee a lesson for not studying."

Ruka frowned at the stick, at the annoying smirk on her face, and his hand unconsciously rubbing his assaulted blond head. "Uh…Einstein?"

She nodded, and then turned a page. "What happens when a Uranium atom is struck by a neutron?"

"H-Hey, I'm not studying Quantum Physics."

"Fine." The Ice Queen smirked and turned another page. "What is the second law of motion?"

The blond cleared his throat. "Uhm…A-acceleration?"

Hotaru put the notebook down and looked at him. "If you answer every question like that I'd shove this stick to your mouth."

"Do you ever study?"

She leaned back and stared at him for a moment, quietly wondering at the sudden change of track. "Of course."

The look he gave her seemed incredulous. "B-But how come you seem to know everything?"

"I don't."

Ruka raised an eyebrow.

Hotaru Imai shrugged.

"D-Don't you…" Ruka gulped, and she could perfectly see the darker tint of flush rushing up to his cheeks as he asked, "D-Don't you ever get distracted by—"

"By?"

He finally flushed, and his eyes avoided hers. "I-I—W-Well…nothing. I-I was just gonna ask you about Aristotle and Newton."

Hotaru's eyes bore down on him. She wondered about his unusual erratic state of mind; it's not like him to babble so much, nor to jump from one nonsense to another. "What about them?"

"So…Newton and Aristotle argued?"

Hotaru Imai's eyebrow twitched to a slight furrow. "Maybe. I don't know." She replied and glanced at him. "They didn't agree on a few things about the second law…" She faltered, and noticed him staring at the window. It suddenly occurred to her that maybe this wasn't all about Newton after all. Silence swept across them as the wind blew through the windows. When she spoke again, she was quietly surprised of how her own voice sounded. "By the way, you passed the quiz this morning."

Ruka looked up from his notes, quite surprised that she broke the silence. "I-I…" he cleared his throat and tried again. "I-I did?"

Imai nodded, not looking up from the dog-eared pages of the book. "Jinno-sensei informed me instead after you dashed out of the room at dismissal."

"Oh."

A pause. Hotaru Imai looked up to meet his suddenly widened eyes. "Actually, you did great."

For some reason a warm feeling sped up to his nape. Her purple orbs bore down on him, and he fought the urge to look away even though she seemed to be able to read through his soul, and hear his very thoughts that were already loud enough for him.

"According to Aristotle there is only a velocity if there is a force, but according to Newton an object with a certain velocity maintains that velocity unless a force acts on it to cause acceleration, that is, a change in the velocity."

In a slight daze, Ruka muttered, "I-I don't understand."

"I'd like to believe that Aristotle was simply messing up with Newton, to complicate things. That way I only have to understand Newton's point of view. It's his law, anyway."

At that, Ruka Nogi couldn't help but laugh; the rumbling thoughts of confusion and mixed feelings suddenly forgotten. "You're right. That simplifies things."

"Just memorize the formula, Bunny boy. Everybody knows what acceleration is."

"B-But doesn't that—" Ruka faltered. "You're s-serious?"

Hotaru stared at him for a moment, before looking back down to his notebook in her hands. "Sometimes the simplicity of things is overlooked because everyone jumps to the complications. Sometimes it's alright not to understand…"

The blond closed his gaping mouth, and after a moment found a smile. When she glanced up, he held her gaze. "That sounds strange coming from a genius like the Ice Queen."

"Don't take that as a license to sloth around, idiot." She said. "I just think you don't just fail in class all of a sudden after years of satisfactory academic performance. I'm convinced that if you're not a complete moron—which you aren't—then you're probably just complicating things."

There was a short pause, and Ruka couldn't fight off the effect the Ice Queen is having on him with all the close inspection. Besides, it's the first time in a long time that this person had actually tried to see him… He gulped. Thinking about that sent a shiver down his spine.

"I know what you're thinking, Nogi."

He blinked at the velvety sound of her voice, and it sliced through his thoughts like a butter knife. He gulped. "Y-ou do…?"

Hotaru shrugged. "You're distracted by little things because you're overthinking. That's your problem."

He let a quiet sigh of relief. "Oh."

"I didn't realize that you're still not over my bestfriend."

The blood immediately came rushing back to his face. "Wh-what—?!" She raised her eyebrows at him in a challenge; and he gulped, his throat dry. "I-It's not that—I-I'm not—"

Hotaru's stare was smoldering, and even though he wanted to look away, her gaze held him in place. He face was calm, but her eyes prodded, searched…and somewhere at the back of his mind, he was panicking about what those eyes could possibly learn from his thoughts. Who knows, she might have blackmailed Koko for an Alice Stone, and all this time she's been reading his mind!

Her eyebrow twitched, and she smirked.

_Oh, no._

"Whatever." She suddenly muttered, her eyes finally breaking the stare. Her face still looked calm, her eyes impassive as though those pretty purple orbs hadn't been probing his soul a few moments ago. "Open your book to this chapter…"

Ruka immediately switched to student mode, quickly grabbing his book from his bag and opening it to the chapter she wanted. The thoughts and the overwhelming feelings he'd had for the past month rumbled in a stubborn undercurrent at the back of his head; but he pushed them away, demanding himself to concentrate.

"…read on the works of Archimedes." She said, flipping the page of his book as she spoke; unmindful of their proximity. "I need to go ahead."

"Why?"

Hotaru paused to stare at him, not missing the slight tone she heard beneath the supposed-to-be innocent inquiry. "I have a meeting to attend to." She said, and gathered her things to her bag before scooting the chair back and get up. "I'll go now."

Ruka cleared his throat. "Okay."

She held his gaze, and again he felt her eyes probing his depths. But just when he thought she was going to say something, she shouldered her bag and turned her heels to go. She didn't look back.

* * *

A/N: there! What do you think? I know, I know, they just babbled a lot out there. The next chapter will be better, I promise. In fact, I do recommend Hotaru's suggestion: Read on Archimedes' works. :P

Thanks for reading! Please review. :)


	7. Chapter 6

A/N: Okay! So since I've been out for such a long time, I worked double for the preceding chapters. Here's chapter 6! R&R everyone! :))

* * *

Chapter 6: Archimedes' Principle: Buoyancy

* * *

_Any object, wholly or partially immersed in a fluid, is buoyed up by a force equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object._

— _Archimedes of Syracuse_

"Where is Syracuse?"

"I told you to read about Archimedes, didn't I?"

Ruka Nogi stroked the spine of his book with his thumb absently. They were walking towards the Academy's library—together, for the first time…

He gulped, immediately forcing down the thoughts. Iinchou had asked him to help him with the piles of books, so he did help his friend carry them. Just so happened that Hotaru Imai's there at the Executive's Mess hall…

'_Well, of course she's there. That's why you agreed, right?'_ the annoying subconscious whispered from the back of his mind, and he cursed inwardly, insisting that he agreed because Iinchou needed help—nothing else.

"You didn't read."

The blond's head snapped to the raven-haired Alice walking beside him. "I did! I-I just don't know where Syracuse is."

Hotaru Imai rolled her eyes. "It's in Italy."

"Oh. How'd you know?"

"I happen to have asked the same question before."

Suddenly his lips tugged up to a sweet smile. "You know, Imai, I like it when you really talk to me." Of course, as soon as he'd said it, he cursed himself inwardly. "I-I mean—I-It's g-good that you d-don't, uhm, i-ignore me at all. I-I mean—" She glanced at him, and he gulped. "Nevermind..."

It was quiet for a moment as he walked staring at his shoes, mentally slapping himself for embarrassing himself. _'That was very honest.'_ His subconscious clapped earnestly. _'I'm proud of you, buddy.'_ And he grimaced. To think their afternoon is yet to begin…well, couple more hours of further embarrassment couldn't hurt that much, could it?

When he looked up, they were finally at the library. The Ice Queen led the way, and at the brief moment, he thought he saw a small curve playing on her lips. But she went past him into the large book haven before he was even sure he saw it.

Well, maybe being honest isn't that bad.

A few minutes later they were both settled down on their usual spot; books spread out on the table, and his notes diligently opened and updated in front of him.

"Okay." The Ice Queen said as she closed her notebook and set it aside. "You said you read as I told you."

"Uh, yes."

"So what about Archimedes?"

"Uhm…" The blond mumbled. "He's Greek."

"But he's from Italy."

"I, uh, I guess the Romans invaded Syracuse…"

"What's his principle about?"

"Uhm…F-floating objects?"

Hotaru raised an eyebrow at him, and he glanced back down, suddenly self-conscious. But when he dared to look up, there was a slight amusement in her eyes. "Good. Seems like you're ready for Midterms."

For the first time since his recent embarrassment, he felt himself relax a bit. "Th-thanks…"

"Then maybe we should cut this short." His head snapped up, and she continued, "Unless you have questions."

"I-I do have questions!"

Hotaru raised an eyebrow at his sudden enthusiasm, and she noticed the darkening of his cheeks. She watched him clear his throat, and mutter, "D-Don't just leave yet. I-I have questions."

There was silence for a moment as he stared at his hands on the table. 'That's twice in a row.' He scolded himself. 'This is getting a lot more embarrassing.'

"So?" She prompted.

"Uhm." He blinked at her, gathering his wits. "I-I…well, a-are you not going elaborate the principle?"

"Archimedes' principle is simply about buoyancy." She replied, her face stoic. "Play with a rubber ducky next time you take a bath."

"Uhm, H-how about y-you give me examples?"

"The rubber ducky."

Ruka opened his mouth to say more, but nothing came out. The Ice Queen stared him down, and he flushed, finally out of cards to play. "Oh. Okay."

Hotaru Imai stared at the blushing guy in front of her. First, he liked it when she talked to him; second, he obviously didn't want her to leave just yet… She blinked twice. Only a few weeks ago this guy was simply Ruka Nogi—the guy she'd used to blackmail, the guy who had been madly in love with her bestfriend… Why's that she's starting to feel like she's gone quite…amused by him?

_Fond, maybe_. A little voice whispered in her head, and she immediately pushed the thought away.

"In case it isn't obvious," She said, and the surprise in his eyes was evident. "Swimming is the best example."

Ruka blinked. Once. Twice. Then for some reason his lips pulled up a small, knowing, smile. "Oh, that makes sense. You're not particularly fond of this principle, are you?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. She didn't really have issues about some Greek dude and his principle, but she shrugged, wanting him to continue. "What do you mean?"

"You hate swimming."

His tone sounded knowing, and she rolled her eyes.

Ruka let out a hearty laugh, and she raised an eyebrow. "I can teach you." He smiled that really sweet smile and the pupae in her stomach squirmed, feeling the excitement for metamorphosis. The feeling was foreign, and she felt the shiver run down her spine at his smoldering gaze.

"Teach me what?"

"How to swim." He answered matter-of-factly, that smile still on.

"Buoyancy is beyond me."

"W-well, we can treat it as an experiment."

She gathered her things to her bag. "I'm not interested."

"I know you are."

"I'm going to drown."

"I'm not going to let you get drowned." Ruka's smile reached his eyes, and she couldn't help but stare. "Come on, Hotaru, it'll be fun."

The pupae in her stomach turned into butterflies, and they fluttered nervously. "No."

Ruka's expression suddenly looked pained, then desperately enthusiastic. His boyish gentleness and his sudden enthusiasm were altogether unfamiliar to her, and she watched him intently. "Come on, Hotaru. Tonight; at the indoor pools."

Either because of the fact that he'd just used her first name twice, or the fact that his blue eyes seem to sparkle with the bright sunlight from outside, she found herself slowly nodding once.

"Really?"

"What?"

"You just nodded." Ruka grinned. "That's a yes, right?"

"Still a 'no'."

"Don't be afraid. I'll be there."

Her eyebrows furrowed a bit. "I'm not afraid."

"It's a deal, then."

She rolled her eyes. She had no idea Ruka Nogi could get _this _persistent.

* * *

Hotaru Imai looked around the empty swimming pools. The fluorescent lights glowered above on the ceiling, filling the large room with brightness. The bluish water sparkled under the glare of the lights, and she wondered if this was even legal that she's here.

"Hey!"

She looked up, and saw a blond Alice waving at her from the end of the pool, roughly a few yards away from her. He was wearing boardshorts, and plain white shirt. She was wearing a halter-top swimwear, and a pair of shorts that run down mid-thighs. She never usually wore these things—she rarely went swimming—but she didn't falter even when she noticed him smiling at her approach.

"I'm glad you came." He greeted. "I thought you'd back out."

Hotaru Imai put her bag down and glanced around. "We're alone."

Ruka nodded. "I go here for a quick swim every now and then."

There was silence for a moment, and she could hear the faintest sounds of the crickets outside. And she was pretty sure he was listening to them too. The only difference is that he understood them somehow.

Suddenly Ruka pulled his shirt off, revealing his bare torso that made her instinctively glance away.

"Come on." He broke her trail of thoughts, his hand was outstretched towards her, and she felt the foreign shiver down her spine.

Letting out a quiet breath, she put her hand on his and allowed him to steer her to the water. Her heart was pounding. She'd long since given up on swimming; even her brother had given up on her. It's not much of a frustration, though, because it's never part of her greatest interests. But sometimes she'd wondered how it felt like not to rely on some floaters.

The water felt cold, but bearable. The water was up to her thighs now, and her breath hitched. "Let's not go too far." Her voice sounded small—vulnerable—and she hated it.

The blond smiled at her, and held her hand tighter. Unconsciously, her other hand reached for his as they moved further, and her heart pumped faster; and for some reason she doubted that it was all because of the nerves.

Just as the water reached her waist, they stopped. Ruka faced her, a smile on his lips. "You have to relax, Imai."

She could hear her heartbeat in her ears, her heart pounding in her chest. His hands felt warm on hers despite the chill of the water; and his gleaming blue eyes stared at him intently. "I am relaxing."

He laughed, and squeezed her hands. "Trust me. It's going to be fine. We'll start with floating."

"It has to be fine; or I'll torture you."

He shook his head in amusement, and then gently released her hands. "Watch me, okay? Then you do it."

Ruka took a few steps back in the water, tucked his head down a bit, and pushed off with his feet until he advanced in the water in a prone position. She watched, amazed, at the easy movement, feeling like she could do it right there and then. Then Ruka maneuvered, and easily flipped himself through the water so that his back was on the surface of the water. After a moment he got himself upright and waded back to her.

"Wanna try?" He asked, and she shrugged. "Uh, Okay, so try getting yourself afloat by pushing yourself off backwards with your feet. Then try to even out your weight to your shoulders so you can lift your legs up until you're buoyant enough."

"Sounds simple."

The blond chuckled at the sarcasm. "Try it."

The raven-haired Alice took a deep breath, commanding herself to be calm, did as he instructed. She felt her body wade off the pool's floor, backwards…and for a short moment she felt free—only until water waded over her face, through her nose and ears, and down under she went.

But then a firm hand held her bare back, and another settled at the back of her head, and suddenly she could breathe again.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Hotaru Imai didn't miss the laughter in his voice, and she glared at him. "Again."

Ruka cleared his throat and muttered, "Okay."

Hotaru pushed herself backwards with her feet, and she again felt her body rise in the water, slowly getting afloat. She willed her legs up, her lower body steady and parallel to the surface of the water. She spread her arms, and realized that his hand had been holding her nape, steadying her so her face wouldn't go underwater.

"Nice, Imai." She heard him say. She couldn't see him; she was looking at the ceiling. "I'm going to release you now…"

He removed his hand off her nape, and she kept her balance. She closed her eyes; it was only after a few moments that it finally dawned into her. She's floating!

"You're doing great." He said, and watched her serene face as she floated in the water; her eyes were closed, but he knew she was happy. And for some reason it made something swell from deep inside him, and he found himself smiling.

After a moment she put her legs down and got herself upright. When she looked at him, he was dumbfounded. "Did you see that?" She whispered, but her voice was filled with unbelievable excitement. Her eyes were gleaming with undeniable delight, and above all else, she was smiling at him.

"Y-yes." He flushed, but managed a sheepish smile. "You can keep on doing it until you get used to the feeling."

She nodded, quickly doing it again. She floated on the water languidly, relaxed but feeling deeply ecstatic. She closed her eyes, and concentrated on the soft ripples of water on her sides, on her ears. She could feel the slight heat of the halogen lights above her, but she couldn't care less. _So this was how it felt like…_

After a few minutes, she opened her eyes. _Maybe it's time to head back._ Confidently pulling her legs down, she bolted to upright herself. But then her feet didn't touch the floor.

At the same instant that she felt the emptiness beneath her, her insides clenched from unfamiliar panic. Her mind clouded, and she thrashed around uncontrollably, hopelessly feeling for anything to cling onto. Her head went down, and she made the mistake of inhaling—water rushed to her nose, her ears…and this time, no strong hands pulled her up.

Her last thought was that perhaps Archimedes was wrong. There's no such thing as buoyancy.

* * *

A/N: PLEASE tell me what you think! I'm dying to know.


	8. Chapter 7

A/N: Hey! Here's chapter 7. I'm trying to keep up, you know. Enjoy! ^^

* * *

Chapter 7: The First Compensation : Warmth

* * *

She tried to open her eyes, but they stung. Her body felt tired, as though she had been exercising nonstop. Above all else she felt cold. She was shivering.

"_What were you thinking, Ruka-pyon?!"_

She could hear voices… No, she could hear one clear voice—and the other was barely audible.

"_You know she can't swim!"_

"_I-I—"_

"_What if something—what if—" _

The Ice Queen mentally raised an eyebrow. Oh, of course. Only Mikan could overreact like that.

Forcing her lids open, she tried to see through the dim light of the room. She looked around, slowly sitting up. The room was big, the bed was large and cozy…there's a small bedside table on her left, and a closet on her right. This was a three-star bedroom. She further noted the various blueprints on the far end of the room, and she warmed up. She's in her bedroom.

Crimson eyes looked her way, and her red-rimmed eyes returned the stare. Her purple orbs bore down on the Black Cat's, and he sighed, turning back to the two. "She's awake."

Mikan's eyes were puffy red, and Hotaru Imai wondered what this Hyugga Natsume did to her that made her cry like that.

"Oh, Hotaru!" She sobbed against her shoulder, and she yielded to the warmth of her bestfriend's body. "I thought you were going to die!"

She opened her mouth to say something, but her throat was dry. When she found her voice, it sounded raspy. "What're you yelling about, Baka? What did Hyuuga do to you?"

Mikan pulled away a bit, her face strained with crying. "You d-don't remember?"

She could feel her head throbbing, and she pulled the covers around her tighter. She tried to think, forced herself to remember… _The pool. Water. His gentle hands. His encouraging smile._ _'Trust me.'_

Unconsciously her eyes flashed up to scan the room…and, there. Their eyes met. She could feel the remorse in his eyes, and for some reason it gnawed at her from the inside. He looked away, and it was then that she noticed that his eyes were also rimmed red and slightly puffy.

_Floating listlessly. The delight of it… Water on her face—on her ears. Blackout._

"You almost drowned, Hotaru!"

The Ice Queen blinked, looking back to her bestfriend. "Ruka saved me."

She heard his sharp intake of air, and she didn't need to glance at him to know that he was dumbfounded.

"Y-yes…He did." Mikan's mouth was in a grim, straight line. "Usagi came frantic in my room. Wh-when I arrived here you were shivering! I-I had to take you off those wet clothes and wrap you up. But you're still cold, Hotaru!"

Mikan was exasperated, and usually it was the perfect time to make fun of her. But then Hotaru felt tired—dead tired. In a flash, she could remember the feeling of the water lapping against her sides, the delightful sound of it on her ears… "We went swimming."

"Y-you don't know how to swim, Hotaru."

All she could do was to shrug. Glancing back up to the blond standing at the foot of her bed, she said to her bestfriend, "It's okay, Mikan. I just feel cold."

The brunette wiped off the tears off her face. "I'm going to stay with you, okay?"

"I'm fine now." Hotaru muttered.

"But—"

The Ice Queen held the Black Cat's gaze for a moment, and he nodded tersely. Then she turned back to the brunette. "Go back to bed, Mikan. There's no need to worry." She looked up to meet the blue eyes watching her intently, and just when Mikan opened her mouth to say something, his voice cut through the room.

"I'm going to stay with you."

His azure eyes looked tired, resigned, guilty…and it didn't really go with the package. She held his gaze. "You should leave, too."

Mikan blinked, looked over her shoulder, and gaped back at her bestfriend. "But Hotaru, I—"

"I'm fine, Mikan. I'm alive, you don't have to worry."

"I'll stay." There was a short pause as they stared at each other. Then he sighed, and she saw how beaten he looked like, as though he'd aged while she was unconscious. His eyes dropped to the floor, and he muttered, "This is my fault. I'm going to stay with her."

Hotaru looked away from him, and gingerly moved to open one drawer from the bedside table; she fetched a pager-looking device, and handed it out to her bestfriend. "I promise to let you know when I need something. I'd want you running around from the other side of the building."

"O-okay." Mikan took the beeper hesitantly. "B-But why does Ruka-pyon get to stay?"

Hotaru felt the blood coming back to her face despite the biting cold she was feeling, and on cue, Natsume held Mikan by her elbow, gently pulling her away. "The questions can wait, Polka." He said. "Come on."

Mikan hugged her bestfriend tight, and obediently got up to her feet. The brunette bit her lip. She's mad at Ruka-pyon for allowing this to happen. Really, now, she just couldn't believe that he—of all people… She sighed. But she just couldn't stay mad at him. She knew, deep down, he wouldn't have wanted this to happen. "P-Please take care of her, Ruka-pyon."

He met her gaze. "I-I'm so sorry."

There was a discreet sound as the door shut close, and they were both finally left alone. The forest was silent—or perhaps it was only because her ears still felt like they were filled with water.

"Get me another blanket." Her voice cut through the silence, and he was immediately brought back to his senses. "It's in the bottom drawer."

The blond quietly obliged. She watched him open the bottommost drawer of the closet, pull out a thick comforter, and walk back to her. He draped the thick cover over her, and proceeded to prop her large pillows against the headrest. She scooted closer to the pillows, leaning back down and pulling the thick covers all around her.

The blond sat down beside her, his eyes boring down on the sheets. "I'm—" He swallowed, and his voice dropped to a whisper. "I'm sorry."

"What happened?"

"I-I thought I heard Piyo's wail from somewhere…" he started, his face flushed as he talked, completely avoiding her gaze. "When I looked back, y-you were—you were already—"

Hotaru blinked. "I didn't realize I was floating away from you."

"Everything happened so fast." He muttered. "I-I was watching you, I really was. B-But I g-got distracted and the next thing I knew you were already thrashing around by the eight-feet mark. It's my fault, Imai…"

There was a pause, and the words hovered around them.

She pulled the covers tightly around her, and watched him intently. He gulped back, and steadied his voice.

"I'm really sorry. I—I-I shouldn't have brought you there. I—"

"I'm honestly glad you did." He looked up, and his eyes were gleaming with unshed tears that her heart skipped a beat.

"B-But you almost—" Ruka faltered, and cursed himself under his breath before turning away to wipe his eyes off the wetness. After a few moments, he managed to gather himself, but his eyes dropped to his clenched fists. "I told you it's going to be fine. It didn't turn out fine. I-I'm sorry."

"Stop that." He looked up, and stiffened when she reached out to his hand. "Stop this." She mumbled, and forced his clenched fist open. Her hands felt cold against his, and they were shivering, but they held him still. "I assume you don't hate me that much to let me drown. So it was an accident. Sometimes experiments go wrong…"

"I don't hate you."

She paused, letting that sink in. When she spoke, her voice was barely audible. "Then that's good."

"I-I could've lost you there." His voice was low, barely a whisper, but with their proximity, she heard it well. "I…I shouldn't have gotten distracted. I-I shouldn't have looked away even for just a moment. I was stupid. I wasn't thinking."

"I wasn't thinking, either."

He shook his head stubbornly, determined to take it upon himself alone. "I-I was watching you intently. But—"

"I know you were."

"I'm—" His voice cracked, and he gulped back the tears.

She felt a boulder of ice fall off from deep inside her. "Why're you crying you idiot?"

"I thought I was going to lose you…"

"Well, I'm alive." Her voice was steady, but her subconscious was already erratic with all that's happening now between them. "So drop it already. Go to bed now. You shouldn't stay here."

"I'm going to stay." He muttered defiantly. "I'm going to stay with you."

She blinked at him.

"It doesn't feel right not to stay." He muttered honestly, unknowingly answering the Ice Queen unspoken question. Her hands still held his, and her nails are turning purple. Letting out a quiet sigh, he rubbed her hands together, warming them up. "Let this be the first compensation." He mumbled, his cheeks warming up. "I-I'd want to stay. Please."

Her purple orbs burned down on their hands. Of course, the compensation… Absentmindedly, she muttered, "Fine. "

His hands continued to rub on hers, watching the color come back to her pale skin. "It's not going to happen again..." He murmured, seemingly lost in trying to keep her hands warm, unmindful of her eyes boring down on his face. "…because from now on I'm going to be as close to you as possible."

Her butterflies fluttered in her stomach, and she sighed. When she spoke again, her voice sounded steady and indifferent. "Then hold me. I feel cold."

The colors in his cheeks deepened, and he nodded. Scooting over, he moved in under the covers beside her, kicking is shoes off before draping the thick covers over them. He pulled her to him, and without saying anything, wrapped his arms around her, one leg over hers protectively.

She gulped back her heart, and it pounded on her chest wildly she wondered if he could feel it. His arms were strong, and they held her in place. He was very warm, and she couldn't help but bury her face in his chest as his arms embraced her tighter. Her lashes brushed against the hollow of his throat, her arms crossed over her chest as he wrapped himself tighter around her. Hotaru closed her eyes and yielded in the embrace; too tired to argue, too comfortable to complain. At the back of her mind she wondered why it seemed like this filled up some void inside her…

They lay there in silence, the warmth radiating from him seeping in through her pale, cold, skin. When he spoke, his voice was clearer, steadier. "I promise never to take my eyes off you ever again."

She inhaled, noting the faint scent of perfume in his body, and sighed. "You don't know what you're saying."

"The past few weeks had been confusing…" He mused, and she absentmindedly listened to the vibration in his chest as he spoke. "But now I'm not going to hold it back."

The raven-haired Alice closed her eyes, exhaustion slowly getting the better of her. She buried her face in his chest. "Hold it back for now." She muttered, not really getting what he's talking about. "I feel cold."

She was vaguely aware of his lips on her hair, but sleep slowly engulfed her like a very welcome blanket. And everything was black; but this time she didn't mind the cozy, almost suffocating feeling of warmth.

* * *

A/N: Thanks so much for reading! Please do review. :))


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